Indexing



(No-Model J. G. BRASHEAR.

INDBXING. Patented Mar. 12, 1895.

J: C. Bras-hadnsnitch,

JOHN C. BRASIIEAR, OF POOATELLO, IDAHO.

INDEXING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,351 dated March 12, 1895.

Application filed February 21, 1894;. Serial No. 501,010. (170 model.) i

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN G. BRASHEAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pocatello, in the county of Bannock and State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Systern of Indexing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to indexed books, such as ledgers, record books, and the like, and it has for its object to provide a simple means for indicating exteriorly the different pages, whereby a book may be opened at any desired page without loss of time.

In carrying out my invention I employ a series of tapes or tags of different colors, or shades of color, and indicate the different general divisions of a book by placing these tapes or tags so as to indicate the lines of division; also, by various combinations of these colored tapes or tags placed in certain relations between said lines of division I iudicate parts of the general divisions. In other words, I adopt a color to designate the pages which are numbered from 1 to 100,another color to indicate the pages numbered from 100 to 200, and so on, thus employing tapes or tags of ten different colors, for the general divisions, when the book contains one thousand pages, this system being repeated for each succeeding thousand. The color designating the pages from 100 to 200, or the color which I will, in description, designate as the second color, is employed, furthermore, to indicate those pagesin each general division which are numbered from 10 to 20. The third color, or that which is used to designate the pages which are numbered from 200 to 800, is employed to designate the pages in each general division which are numbered from 20 to 30, and so on. In addition to this, each color is used to indicate a part, that is the second half, of each subdivision indicated by the same color. For instance, color No. 3, which is used to designate the pages numbered from 20 to 30, is also employed to indicate the line of division between the first and second halves of said series of pages, or the page 25. Thus, by the proper combinations of the different colors the pages of a book are divisible into general parts or divisions, each contain ing one hundred pages. Each general division is divisible to form subdivisions containing ten pages each, and each subdivision is further divisible into parts containing five pages each.

In order that my invention may be more thoroughly understood, I will describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa book con structed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows the book opened at page 600. Fig. 3 shows the book opened at page 740, with the corner turned back to show the tape marking the subdivision between pages 740 and 750. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modification.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding partsin all the figures of the drawings.

Numerals 1 to 10, inclusive, designate the different colored tapes or tags whichmark the lines separating the general divisions of the book, and placed respectively on the outer edges of pages 1, 100, 200, 300, dac.

Numerals 2 to 10, inclusive, indicate the corresponding colors (omitting color No. 1) which are arranged in series between the tapes or tags 1 to 10, and indicate the lines marking the subdivisions of the above-mentioned general divisions, or the pages marked 10, 20, 30, &c., 110, 210, 310, &c.

The numerals 1 to 10*, inclusive, designate the tapes or tags indicating the lines of division between the parts of the subdivisions, and placed upon the pages numbered 5, 15, 25, 850., and 105, 115, 125, the.

The tapes or tags 1 to 10 preferably extend the entire length of the page, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, in which the book is shown open at page 600 and exposes the tape or tag 7, thus indicating that this is the seventh color. The tags 2 to 10 are arranged close together below the center of the pages, while the tags 1 to 1O are arranged above the center. Therefore in order to find a certain page the tag having the color corresponding with the gen eral division in which said page is located is first selected, after which the tag marking the subdivision, and found below the center of the page, is noted, and if the page sought occurs near or at the center of a subdivision, the tag having the required color, and located above the center of the page, marks the point at which the book must be opened. For instance, if it is required to open the book at page 740, the tape or tag which extends the entire length of the page, and having color No. 8, indicates page 700, and the tag having color No. 5, below the center of the page, in the general division indicated by the firstnarned tag, designates the required page, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. If it is required to find page 745 the tag 5, which is located above the center of the book in the subdivision following the tag 5, marks the point at which the book must be opened. The pages of the book are thus divided into groups of five, the tags 2 to 10 being secured to the edges of the leaves bearing pages numbered 9, 10; 19, 20; rise; and the tags I to 10 to the leaves bearing pages numbered 5 and 6, 15 and 16, (50. The intermediate pages, which are not provided with tags, are discovered by turning a single leaf, inasmuch as only two leaves at most can occur between two adjacent tags.

For the convenience of those who are unfamiliar with the system, I employ a key or indicator, secured preferably to the front coverot a book and foldably arranged so that when the book is in use it may be extended, as shown in Fig. 1. This indicator 11 is provided with series of tapes or tags having colors corresponding with those marking the divisions and subdivisions of the book, and contiguous to these tapes or tags are disposed numbers indicating the pages marked by the tags having the corresponding colors. Reference to the drawings will show, furthermore, that I have indicated the general divisions of the book by columns of numbers arranged between the groups or series of tags marking the subdivisions, but this marking may be omitted, as it is unnecessary when the numerical values of the colors, according to my improved system, have been memorized.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification of my invention,in which the leaves upon opposite sides of each tagged leaf are cut away to expose the tags, and the outer edges of the leaves on opposite sides of each leaf bearing a full-length tag are cutaway, as shown. The object of this arrangement is to expose the pages between the tags and enable the operator to find such intermediate pages without additional search after the tag adjacent to such page has been found. Thus pages bearing numbers ending with 2 and 3, and 8 and 9, being those which are adjacent to the leaves which are tagged below the center of the book, are exposed by the adjacent cut leaves; and pages bearing numbers ending with 3 and 4, and 6 and 7, or those which are adjacent to the leaves which are tagged above the center of the book, are similarly exposed. To find pages ending with these intermediate numbers, the thumb of one hand should be placed upon the tag adjacent to the desired page, and the thumb of the other hand should be placed directly opposite the first, so as to slip through the notch in the adjacent leaf, and thus rest upon the surface of the intermediate leaf. The cuts should not be large enough to interfere with the ruling upon the pages.

A further advantage of the above construction resides in the fact that the additional thickness caused by the tags is compensated for by the cut-away portions, each tag fitting in the cut-away portions of the adjacent leaves, whereby the thickness of the book is not increased.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- An indexed book provided at its opening edge with a group or series of colored tapes or tags 1 to 10 indicating general divisions of the book, correspondingly colored groups of tapes or tags 2 to l0 arranged in said general divisions at one end of the book, and groups or series of colored tapes or tags 1 to 10 arranged at the other end of the book 5 to indicate subdivisions alternate to those formed by the tapes or tags 2 to 10, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN G. BRASIIEAR.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH GALE, MARY GALE. 

